Tattered tails

Butterflies are such amazing creatures to observe. The way the flit about through a garden and search through the flowers for their favorite nectar it a great joy to watch. At the same time, when you look closely you will see that most butterfly wings show signs of wear. It is somewhat unusual to see the wings unscathed by everyday life. I don’t know if it is birds getting to them or if the delicate wings just get damaged in their constant landing and taking off but most often, I see holes and tears and missing pieces.

You can see on this yellow swallowtail that only one side has the iconic tail at the end of the wing. She lost that other one somewhere but that does not really diminish the overall beauty. Thinking about this reminds me how often we judge things based on our idea of perfection. When something fails to meet that standard, we feel like it has less value and we tend to dismiss it.

This happens even in the case of how we treat other people. This behavior of holding things up to a standard of perfection often causes us to miss out on what is wonderful in spite of small flaws. Nothing is really perfect. We should be looking for what is good and building it up instead of tearing down what is imperfect. Again, my photography teaches me life lessons. What a great way to spend time learning more and looking for beauty.

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Author: stgrundy

Photography is my way to capture and share the amazing beauty of God’s handiwork in the people and places that I experience every day. I focus mainly on nature and travel subjects but also do alot of event work for my church and the occasional wedding or portrait session.
My residence is Roswell, Georgia – a northern suburb of Atlanta. I try to get around the Southeast as often as possible and would love to explore other parts of the USA and the rest of the world.
Member of: Roswell Photographic Society
Contributing artist: Getty Images
View all posts by stgrundy